Automatic release-valve



` GEORGE H. SAUTIER, OF CHICAG,

PATENT OFFICE.

ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATC RELEASE-VALVE.

Application' ined February 20. 192e.

.T dll fui/mn t may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE H. SAUTIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resi dent of the city of Chicago, in the county of Coeli and'. State of illinois, have invented a new and useful mprovement in Antoniatic Release-Valves, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic release valves for air brake equipment, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object ot my invention is to provide an automatic release valve adapted to be connected to an auxiliary reservoir in an air brake equipment oi' standard type which will he :initornatically closed when the air in the auxiliary reservoir has` been exhausted.

A Vfurther object ot my invention is to provide a device oi' the type described that will normally remain closed. thus preventing the escape of air.

Other objects and advantages will appearin the followingy specification. and the novel features ot' the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the acconb panyinn' drawings, forming' part oi: this application. in which- Figure 'l is a sectional view ot the device as applied.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of. the device1 and Fig. l is an enlarged sectional view the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

ln actual practice, it is necessary, in or der to operate a. release valve such as now used in connection `with standard air brake equipmentto open the release valve and to manually hold the same open until the air has been exhausted from the auxiliary reservoir in the air brake equipment. l/Vhen my device is applied, a workman opens the release valve in the air brake equipment of one car and then proceeds to the next car. The valve Will he closed `antomatically when the auxiliary reservoir has been emptied. lt will he obvious that a great saving in time and labor results.

ln carrying out my invention, l make use of an auxiliary reservoir l, having' a head 2 in which is provided a communicating opening 3 into a car brake cylinder 4.. A

along Specification of Letters Patent.

`has a central bore lf3.

.recess 15 of the cap le.

Patented Feb. 22, 1,921. Serial No. 360,086.

piston 5, having a piston head 6 secured theretoz is disposed within the cylinder for reclprocation therein. .lt veilllie noted that the piston head 6 is connected. to the end of the piston 5 adjacent to the auxiliary reservoir l, and that the piston head 6 lits the car brake. cylinder 4 snugly. An annular flange 7 is provided at the opposite end of the piston 5. The piston head -6 is normally held vagainst the head 2 of the auxiliary reservoir lby the thrust of a spring' 8 which is carried by the pis ton 5 So far the parts described are o stand-- ard constructionyand form no part of my invention, except in so far asthey cooperate with the parts about to loe described.

I provide a release valve having a bodyY portion 9 which is monnted'npon tlieend of the car brake cylinder d and may he secured in any approved manner, as at 9. The body portion 9 has an air inlet l0 which is' connected to the auxiliary reservoiiul by means of an air pipek. Outlets 12 are provided inv the 'cody portion 9 "which A. cap 14 having a central recess 15 is scv Wed into the upper end of the central here '13. stein i6 is vertically disposed in the ceN Leal re 1B its upper end projectingi Within the lZentral A The ste 16 is secured to a. disk 17 which seats against an annular shoulder 17 provided inthe central bore 13. A portion 18 of the stem 16 depends 'from the dislr and is provided with an annular notch lil at a spaced dis7 tance frolnthe lower end. The disk 17 is normally kept seated against the shoulder 17 by the action ol a. spring lil disposed about the stem 16.

A har 20 havingits ends tient upwardly and then downwardlvto forni sockets 2l is loosely disposed in the body portion 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 ot the accompanyn ing drawings; The sockets 2l are adapted to receive pins 22 which are carried upon the ends ot levers-'23 which are @erted through diametrically opposed laterL apertures 24 in the body portion 9. A. od 25 is pivotally connected at 25 to one the projectingT through an aperture 29. A

- flange spring 30 exerts a tension to force the finger 28 toward the lower portion `18 of the stem 16. The pawl 26 has an arm Blf'projecting downwardly and kept in contact with the 7 upon the end of the piston 5 by the action of the spring 30. The finger 28 is adapted to engage the notch 19 in the lowerportion 18 of the stem 16 when the disk 1T has been raised in the manner about to be described.

From the foregoing description of the va rious parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. workman grasps the arm 25 and jerks the saine outwardly, thus forcing the bar Q() upwardly against the lower portion 18 oi' the stem 16 and opening the valve. The finger 28 of the pawl 26 is 'inserted in the notch I 19 of the lower portion 18 of the stem 16 and holds the stem in its raised position, so that the air may flow freely through4 the outlets 12. lt is to be understood that the piston 5 has been kept in a prior to the opening of the release valve by the pressure of the compressed air against the piston head 6. When the air in the auxiliary reservoir has been exhausted, the pressure against the piston head 6 is removed, and the thrust of the spring 8 forces Vthe piston head backwardly toward the auxiliary reservoir 1. The flange 7 in its retractive movement catches the arm 81 of the pawl 26 and pushes the same toward the cylinder 4, thus withdrawing the finger 28 from the notch 19 and permitting the valve to be closed by the action iof the spring 19 pressing the disk 17 against the annular shoulder 17 "[t will be readily apparent that my vimproved device has many advantages over the release valves now in use, since it `is no longer necessary for the workman to hold the valve opened While the air is being exhausted from the auxiliary reservoir, and a great saving in time and labor results, Without an increase in the cost of equipment.

protracted position v I claim:

1.' ln an air brake system for railroad cars, an auxiliary reservoir for compressed air, a ear brake cylinder communicating therewith and having a piston, said piston normally being held in protracted condition by the pressure of air from said auxiliary reservoir when the brakes are applied, a release valve for said auxiliary reservoir, said release valve being mounted upon the remote end of said car brake cylinder, an air pipe connecting said auxiliary reservoir and an air inlet in said release valve, means for opening said release valve to permit the escape of air from said auxiliary reservoir, a pawl pivotally secured to'said release valve and having a finger adapted to be inserted in a notch in a stem of said release valve, whereby the latter is maintained in opened condition, means operated when said reservoir has been emptied for closing said release valve, said last named means comprising a spring disposed upon said piston to cause a retractive movement ofthe same, and an annular flange carried at the end of said piston, said flange being arranged to engage said `pawl when the piston is retractively moved, wherebytlie finger of said pawl is removed stem of said release valve, ting .the latter to close.

2. In a device of the class described, a reservoir for compressed air, a release valve for said reservoir, an air pipe connecting the reservoir andan air inlet in said ielease valve, means for opening said release valvey to permit the escape of' air from said reservoir, a pawl pivotally secured to said release valve and having a finger adapted to be inserted in a notch in the stem of said release valve to maintain the latter in opened condition, and means operated when said reservoir has been emptied for closing said release valve.

thereby permiti enonen HsAUTiER,

from`the notch in the 

